Birds of a feather...

For those of you who followed our Barn Owls story, you might be dying to hear how they are doing.  Our little chicks are all grown-up and starting to gain the birds of prey instinct that we so diligently have tried to expose them to.  

We see this when they receive food.  Whenever we start feeding them they start hissing and stamping their feet aggressively.  This is a sign of dominance as they would usually take the mice that they catch and beat them on the ground with their claws until they die.  This is a very gruesome way of killing but we must remember that these are wild birds of prey which can become just as violently aggressive as a predator such as a lion.  They also swing their heads from side to side to try and intimidate those around.  It is a very interesting process to watch as they brutally attack their food without mercy.  And yet they do it so gracefully and beautiful that it’s hard to look away. 

They have become more beautiful by the day and now look like fully grown adult Barn Owls.  The only difference is that they are a little smaller in size than a fully grown owl.

 They have much fuller rounder faces now with that perfect heart shape

All their down has gone, now it’s only the beautiful brown, grey and white soft feathers that remain.

On your next visit to Ubizane, feel free to ask us about the progress of the owls!